Exploring Kootenay Lake

Halo substitution

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Alistair

Today the cirrus contained columnar ice crystals, rather than plates. This meant no circumhorizontal arc, but other haloes compensated.

At noon, for a few weeks around the summer solstice I watch for the circumhorizontal arc. This is a really very colourful arc lying parallel to and just above the horizon. Actually, it is not all that rare when the Sun is high enough in the sky for it to form. The ideal solar elevation is 68°. At Nelson, the Sun reaches a maximum elevation of 64° at solar noon (about 12:50DST) on the summer solstice (June 21). That’s close, so for maybe an hour a day, for a week a year, the arc might be able to be seen from around here.

Today was sunny and there was cirrus—almost optimal. The only other needed ingredient in the recipe was that the cirrus had to contain the requisite prisms: plate–like ice crystals. Now, most ice crystals in the atmosphere come in two basic forms (with lots of variations), hexagonal columns and hexagonal plates. Think of the columns as wooden pencils scattered randomly on a table; think of the plates as hexagonal dinner plates, again scattered over the table. The formation of the circumhorizontal arc requires the plates; today the cirrus delivered columns.

However, the columnar ice crystals did give a nice display—albeit not the one I sought. The picture below shows three haloes: The inner circle around the Sun (which looks too large owing to overexposure) is the 22° halo. Surrounding it is an elliptical shape called the circumscribed halo; it is coincident with the 22° halo at the top (upper part of the picture) and bottom (out of the picture), but shows a small separation on the left and right. At this solar elevation these haloes are caused by the columns. The centre of each of these haloes is the Sun.

The Kootenay Lake website offers other pictures and more discussion of these haloes. To get a sense of just how lovely the circumhorizontal arc can be, see the posting about its low–sun brother, the circumzenithal arc.

A third halo appears, but is a bit subtle: the parhelic circle. This is a white arc that circles the sky at the elevation of the Sun. In this picture it is seen passing through the sun, and cutting across the other haloes at about 2 and 10 o’clock. The centre of this halo is the zenith, which is locate just above the 22° halo.

What can I say: it was a nice display, even if it wasn’t what I hoped to see.

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Butterflies for lunch

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Alistair

There are worse ways to spend one’s lunch hour than to wander around looking at butterflies. I saw a number of species midday, but only two were wont to pose long enough for me to take satisfactory portraits.

My favourite is this first picture of a Pale Swallowtail on the fresh growth of a Douglasfir. Notice that it isn’t feeding. Not only does the Douglasfir offer no nectar, but the butterfly’s probosces is coiled below its head.

Similarly, this Western Tiger Swallowtail on a Western Red Cedar must merely be resting. It is siesta time.

Look at the coiled probosces of this Pale Swallowtail. It is clearly not feeding.

Entomologists have long suspected that the function of the tails on the swallowtail butterflies is to mislead hungry birds. A bird would grab at the tail and it would merely break off. This swallow–half–tail butterfly is evidence of the success of the butterfly’s ruse.

Posted in bugs | 4 Comments

Mentor passing

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Alistair

I hope that the handful of people who follow this blog will forgive me for wandering somewhat off topic. This website and its blog explore the natural world around Kootenay Lake. Other than to describe what I see, I don’t talk about myself.

Yet, this posting is personal and it is deeply felt. It is about my mentor, Professor R.S. Scorer. He died this May at the age of 91. But, being about him, it is also about me and how he informed my view of nature. And that makes him relevant to this website.

At his funeral, I offered these few words:

Dick Scorer was the consummate naturalist: he would observe his surroundings through far more perceptive eyes than most others, and had the impressive capability to use physics to make sense of what he saw. He didn’t just see events; he saw processes.

I was a beginning meteorologist in 1963 when I read Ludlam’s and his book, Cloud Study. I had never imagined that one could view nature this way. For me at the time, physics was something that took place in a laboratory and meteorology was the creature of a vast set of data processed by colonies of ants. But, Dick would look at a cloud, at frost, at a halo, and use his knowledge of physics and mathematics to read his surroundings as others would read a book. I had to study with this man.

I did study with him. Certainly, I learned a great deal about solving problems and presenting ideas, but the primary thing that he gave me was an inquisitive view, but one constrained and informed by the laws of physics. His approach guided me through years of research, writing, and teaching. Now that I have retired, it guides my observation and interpretation of the birds, bears, and bugs around me—and, of course, clouds.

I owe an unpayable debt to Dick Scorer—he taught me how to make sense of my surroundings.

As I was preparing this posting, I looked out the window. There was a rainbow. Poignant, for the only two physical gifts Dick and I ever exchanged were books about the rainbow. He gave me a copy of Carl Boyer’s classic book (1959), The Rainbow From Myth to Mathematics. Years later, I returned the compliment by giving him an autographed copy of my own book on the subject: Raymond L. Lee, Jr. and Alistair B. Fraser (2001), THE RAINBOW BRIDGE: Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science. (It is not by accident that the header image on this blog features a rainbow).

In memory of Dick Scorer: a picture of this evening’s rainbow and its reflection in the waters of Kootenay Lake.

Posted in commentary, history, weather | 2 Comments

Otter obs

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Alistair

River Otters are here, but I only get to see one on the Lake every year or possibly every year and a half.

In fairness to the otter I wait until it comes to me. If it were a beaver or muskrat, I would know where to look to find one, but with the otter—well, I haven’t a clue, so I only see it when it visits me.

The Kootenay Lake website offers other, and better pictures, of local River Otters.

As usual when it comes, it only stops by for a few minutes. It hops out of the Lake, frolics on a dock and is soon gone again out onto the Lake. Maybe someday I will figure out where it lives, but for now, I must be content with an occasional visit.

An otter stops by a dock as a log floats by.

And of course I have to include a picture which shows the result of the rising water.

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Bears, bugs, birds

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Alistair

I sometimes whimsically characterize kootenay-lake.ca as a website that treats bears, bugs, birds, and beaches. So, why not use that list as the theme for a posting? Alas, the only beach I show here is underwater, but it will have to do. These eight pictures were all taken within the last ten days.

This mother bear had cubs nearby, but they stayed hidden while I watched.

The Pale Swallowtail is a western butterfly common to southern BC.

Although there are many insects in my yard, I rarely see a Soldier Fly (Oxycera sp.).

This Bald–faced Hornet posed for a portrait. And yes, this is definitely the lassie you do not want to annoy.

This Spotted Sandpiper was patrolling what a few weeks ago would have been beach.

A Willow Flycatcher waits on a perch to fly out to catch insects in flight.

This female Rufous Hummingbird looks like a sword on wings.

The male Black–chinned Hummingbird is still around, but likely to leave for the mountains soon.

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals | 4 Comments

Ospreys’ annus horribilis

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Alistair

It seems that 2011 is an annus horribilis for ospreys along the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. Normally there might be 20 or 30 nesting pairs on the stretch of water between Balfour and Nelson (there is variation: in 2009 there were 17). In late May this year, a survey by Janice Arndt and Elaine Moore found only three nests (two of which were inland). In early June, I searched a stretch of the Arm and found no osprey nests where there had been many in the past.

In early May, many ospreys had arrived at the Lake and started housekeeping just as they had done in other years. But by late May most nests were gone. What happened? We think we know, but would appreciate further insights.

High winds destroy nests
I had been monitoring a nest in front of my place and had made quite a few postings about it. I returned from a field trip on May 14 to find the nest gone and adjacent wind damage. Those birds have not returned. Janice Arndt monitored an osprey nest on a dolphin seen from her home. It was destroyed by high winds on May 13 and 14. Charlie Zinkan watched the nest at Sunshine Bay. Again, it was destroyed by high winds (but those ospreys seem to be trying to rebuild).

It seems likely that many nests along the West Arm were destroyed by high winds at the same time. A promising start had been blown away. Can anyone add any further evidence?

Ospreys at Sunshine Bay are trying to rebuild after high winds destroyed the first nest, but it seems that most other ospreys have just given up (picture taken June 13, 2011).

Posted in birds | 6 Comments

Spirit bear II

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Alistair

Nelson’s Spirit Bear has been seen again.

Nearly a year ago, Doug Thorburn watched a local white Black Bear. He saw it again last week and wrote about both sightings: “I had grave doubts concerning his potential survival, given his scrawny appearance last year. He is still small, but appears to have a nice coat, and some extra weight.”

Spirit Bear (see also Black Bears)
• a Spirit Bear is a white Black Bear anywhere in the Province
• the white Black Bear (Spirit Bear) is protected from hunting
• kermode DOES NOT imply white; most kermode are black
• kermode DOES NOT mean Spirit Bear

The Spirit Bear is a Provincial symbol. It is merely the somewhat uncommon white colour phase of the ordinary Black Bear. Some propagandists would have you believe that such bears are only found on the North Coast and are synonymous with the word kermode. Such claims are nonsense.

The Spirit Bear is found throughout BC, and we have our own here in the mountains south of Nelson. I wish it well.

Doug saw Nelson’s Spirit Bear on two different occasion on the same day.
Pictures used with permission.

Posted in mammals | 1 Comment

An entomological play

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Alistair

Coming through
• An entomological play in one act
• Set design by Deer Bush (Ceanothus integerrimus)

Cast of characters
• Lingerer is played by Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
• Jogger is played by Mining Bee (Andrena sp.)

Jogger: “Coming through; out o’ my way.”

Lingerer: “I’m having lunch; go away.”

Jogger: “You make a very big target.”
Lingerer: “I’m out of here.”

Posted in bugs | 1 Comment

Flotsam

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Alistair

As the Lake rises well above the levels of the previous few years, the shoreline is scoured of debris and the water becomes awash with logs, brush and junk. Speedboats must now travel with caution. But, the water birds seem to like it. For them, the flood delivers food and perches.

A female merganser hitches a ride on a log.

Normally, when I see a loon on the Lake, it is travelling through the water. This one, however, went with the flow—just another bit of flotsam.

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Red–winged Blackbird

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Alistair

The Red–winged Blackbird is one of the most numerous birds in North America. Gary Davidson’s Checklist of West Kootenay Birds lists it as common in the spring and summer. Yet, I never see it—or at least, I never see it near my home.

The problem, apparently, is that the Red–winged Blackbird prefers marshes (such as found at each end of the Main Lake) while I live on fairly well drained land (along the West Arm). However, as the pictures below reveal, even a short visit to the bird’s preferred habitat provides a cornucopia of sightings and pictures.

The male Red-winged Blackbird is hard to mistake. It is glossy black with red–and–yellow shoulder badges.